Reflections of Gratitude from October 2024 – October 2025
Twelve shows… twelve! We saw them twelve times in a span of 12 months and for some of us that’s more than we’ve seen our own relatives. Some were able to attend all 13 shows. Tears for Fears Travel Fans made an effort. Not just an effort to show up but to show out and in the most humble of ways. Hundreds of fans dressed up, made plans, rearranged schedules, and went above and beyond to make sure they were present and accounted for at shows. Some came to one concert, some bought tickets for others so they could go and as always there were those that went to each one! In all, Tears for Fears fans spent countless hours of quality time together in support of the band.
Given that September was previously discussed on Substack, let’s chit chat about October. We had the superfan madness in the best way. On the first night, Wednesday 22 October, Roland and Curt redefined the word “final” with jokes. One must really listen to the video from the on-stage band chat that we covet. It’s one of the best parts of the concerts – the conversations, extra info and all around fun stories. We always learn something helpful and new. This time Roland noted plans for a 2026 tour. Fans are eager to get to the areas Roland mentioned (i.e. Europe, UK, etc.). We’ve learned of three possible dates but need to wait for the band to give full details. We don’t want anyone booking anything until we know for sure the exact venue, day and time.*Be sure to listen to the podcast below featuring Curt Smith. It was published on the 9th of January. It does not negate what we were told in October, but it does seem like shows may be announced later on vs. “super soon.” Several fans have already been in touch saying they were fine with that because it gives them time to prepare financially. We agree.
We had some time to run around on the 23rd. Fans went to see the Wizard of Oz at The Sphere. Lady Tam created a really cute art piece in the museum (we’re going to discuss it further on Substack – video coming soon). Andye had a miraculous medical procedure on her legs so she could stand up during the shows and several fans finally took some much needed time by the beautiful Fontainbleau pools. A few people even saw Mr. Orzabal there but we didn’t bother him. He deserves some peace! As the week went on, we all got cozier by the minute and it was clear by Friday that no one really wanted to go home.
Those that went to the first two shows were quite tearful headed to the airport on Saturday morning. They sent texts and notes about how they really wish they could have stayed. Fans attending the last two shows of the year stayed up til 5am in the Promenade, some leaving merely hours before their planes took off as they didn’t want to squander a minute of fan family time. Big shoutout to the band members we did see that evening after the show and to Jamie for coming by before heading to the airport. Had it not been for Lisa of TFF Boston’s surprise birthday party we might have sat there and cried. Instead we ate cake and held on to each other as tight as possible. Andye sat at the end of the table, legs in bandages as she swirled chopsticks through a poke bowl tearfully mumbling, “We really need to find a way to make these events last longer…none of us really wants to leave.” Superfanitis had already set in and we were very sad.
Thank you Nick W. for the recap of the Wednesday show in October. Great footage and a wonderful promo for those looking forward to future shows…
The videos of the concerts are all over YouTube and speak for themselves. The songs felt even stronger, David Moyer’s saxophone sounded even brighter and the band blew us out of the water with each powerful show. On Saturday night, the ending of the concert was clear and audible. Microphones were up and we were able to hear David Moyer’s sax, Lauren on Shout and Mr. Orzabal’s “thank you very much goodnight.” We were able to soak up and feel every sound. They seemed to oblige us with cute mini-bows to the audience and thankfully a slower exit from the stage. If we could borrow Roland’s time machine we’d do it all again.
With that said, the week was not without issues. In one section, a fan was harassed because she stood up during the show and danced. It’s a concert! what was she supposed to do? Sleep? Dejected, she left the venue. Fontainebleau staff happened to see her in the hall disheartened. They kindly intervened. She was reseated before the concert ended. Then her hoodie went missing but was thankfully found. One fan drank a bit too much and became quite irate. Someone’s dinner was not delivered though they paid for it. On the final night of the mini-res, fans on the front row center left were allegedly interrupted by two people who shifted their way onto the row illegally (twice) and those two disruptors eventually had to be escorted out? It caused the row to become crowded. Weird stuff like that… and then Andye fell sick on the Sunday afternoon with a 102 fever that lasted a month after the shows. She believes it was superfanitis and the come down from all the excitement that happened during the incredibly healing week.
Given that fans invest a lot of time and resources to be present at shows, it’s imperative that we treat each other with respect and kindness. Many thanks again to Danny, his sister Pennie, Carrie and others who helped host meetups and look after other fans. We’re forever grateful to the Fontainebleau staff for being attentive and coming to the rescue on several occasions.
We also had some tragic news just hours before showtime on Wednesday. Several fan family members received terrible health diagnosis. As they lay in the hospital their front row seats remained empty. We did our best to get the tickets in the hands of those who would appreciate the seats. But it was so close to showtime no one was able to take their place. They were terribly missed. A week or so after coming back we learned several others had to be absent because their illnesses were too grave to permit them to travel. We are checking in on these fan team members regulary and praying for everyone. Much appreciation to all who called in with their health statuses.
We partied in the best ways. In many of our minds we’re still there. We always will be. There’s nothing that compares to a Tears for Fears music event. It’ll get you right as the sun and the moon, the wind and the rain.
Our Top 10 2025 Gratitude List
We could sing the praises of the band for months and our thank yous are long but here are the top 10 out of 100 for this Vegas series…
10. After first asking about a residency of some sort a few years back, we got it!
We got it! We had THE BEST quality time together in one place. No one had to constantly hop planes each night to get to a show or sit for hours in an airport. Fans finally met The Blue Rocker, many flew in from all over the world (e.g. Aloha from Australia, Neil W., Jenny W., fans from Germany, etc.). Danny Cricks, who has been hosting gatherings since the 90s oversaw the ones at Fountainbleau October and Carrie hosted and continued to kindly assist at each one. We had a blast while keeping this tradition alive.
Camaraderie and being cozy with one another is what we do. Super grateful for that! Brian W. said it best though. This video remains a favourite. Thank you, Brian!
9. The Fontainebleau staff was incredibly helpful. From the concert assistance, remembering all of us from past shows to helping us get to our seats and providing the incredible medical care (scheduled and unscheduled)…they rocked!
8. The merch for the Songs for a Nervous Planet album was really cool. We’re happy to add the darling astronaut to the fold of sunflowers and other iconic images we associate with Tears for Fears. We are already planning where he’ll sit if the band approves the Music Village we so desperately want so we can all retire together surrounded with their tunes. The slate blue Zippy tshirt in the astronaut helmet is one that we find hard to take off because it’s just so cute and comfy. We’re practically living in it. We got the new SFTBC shirt (how did we come to that name for it?) – the white shirt with Curt and Roland. As hard as is it is to keep clean it’s another one that we love to wear and was the one fans wore the most during the residency. Even the fan generated tour couture was super sensational thanks to Lisa who created a dynamite Dare I Imagine/Rivers of Mercy shirt. Lady Tam and Carrie kept us super fanshionable as we strutted the superfan runway in the incredible Tears for Fears jackets. We had a whole Tears for Fears Bikerette Brigade.
7. Best Birthday Party EVER! Big congrats to Lisa from TFF Boston. Fans organized themselves to throw her a wonderful birthday party to honour a milestone turn around the sun. She received a signed set list, guitar picks and a beautiful photo of Curt and Jamie, also signed. Lisa has been attending Tears for Fears shows since 1985 with her sister Elana. They have literally rearranged their schedules and travel plans to leap across the Atlantic in the middle of their summer holidays to attend concerts .
Elana began the planning this past August along with Craig and Andye. With the help of Danny, Pennie and other fans, she was greeted with a big surprise when she walked downstairs on Saturday night thinking she was just about to attend the meet and greet. Lisa soon saw it was much more than that! We love you, Lisa! Thank you for your dedication to the world of Tears for Fears!
6. The encounters with the band family!
Other moments of gratitude certainly include the numerous encounters with the band each time we flew out. Most were not planned. They just happened!
“When I arrived in September, I was with my nurse and we couldn’t remember which lift to take. After circling around about 2-3 times I finally got to the correct lift and guess who is standing there…Jamie! He and I both lit up with glee. It was awesome seeing him and getting a chance to chat. I had gotten there quite early thinking I probably wouldn’t see anyone for a few days. So, Jamie being the first person I saw that week was nothing short of Divine!” – Andye
5. We got our answers to the word “final.” No more needs to be said… haha! We were so shocked that barely anyone captured video of Roland and Curt’s full conversation on Wednesday regarding the tour and sequential ones they joked about for 2031. Thank you Danny for capturing the key part which confirms the tour is in the planning stages. KaybeeTodd, another loyal fan that has an online library of TFF concert videos, also posted a fun conversation from Saturday night. Roland looks absolutely radiant! Shining like a new star! Thank you KBT!
To expand on the announcement we did some additional research and contacted various people to see if we could get an idea of where exactly in the UK and Europe the tour would stop. This was soley for hotel booking and flight preparation purposes. The earlier we know the easier it is get these things booked in advance. Our suggestion to everyone is to join each hotels’ membership program so you can take advantage of deals (e.g. Marriott, Hyatt – They manage a variety of hotels around the globe). Our TFF California team member Patty has also helped us out a lot in the past re: picking the best locations during tours. When we’re allowed to actually post venue names and cities, you know we will. Just know that this announcement isn’t a rumour or a “maybe.” Roland actually said they were planning the tour. Hopefully the band will include all the tracks from Songs for a Nervous Planet because they are excellent and should be heard live at least once in a lifetime. Not sure if they’ll sing Landlocked.
4. Lady FP – Curt’s wife, Lady Diva Smith and Artist Raoul Orzabal’s presence… knowing they were there on multiple occasions was very heartwarming. We didn’t bother them or run up and snap photos (though we wanted to and to give them hugs). But we did see them and knowing they were among us was marvelous!
3. Carina and Lauren…these two are just PHENOMENAL!! We are so grateful for their smiles, their waves, the online interaction, consistent posts and sharing their whereabouts so that we can either go see them ourselves at their additional performances or catch the livestream (e.g. Carina’s concert). There’s so much to say here we could write an admiration book. The love we have for these two ladies has no boundaries minus us trying to maintain our composure in their presence. Long may they live and we pray they have incredible collaborations and future concerts together with Tears for Fears.
Suffer the Children by the very Captivating Carina Round!!!
Lady Lauren Evans singing “My Demons” by Tears for Fears
The top two spots on our gratitude list are related to our appreciation of the band’s acknowledgements and bringing Mr. Moyer back to play the Sax!
It’s a really big deal to see Curt waving at everyone and recognising familiar faces! He has no idea how happy that makes us and the impact that it has on our whole year, let alone concert experience. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for that. He is well aware of who is showing up at these events. Curt knows our genuine intentions and our hearts. We are dedicated to the work of Tears for Fears and all involved. We appreciate these opportunities to spend quality time in their presence.
The Return of The Working Hour live
It was nothing shy of an answered prayer. We’ve been wanting to see Mr. Moyer again for so long. When the band asked what songs we wanted to hear there was no question that The Working Hour would lead that list…but not just The Working Hour…The Working Hour with Mr. Moyer on Sax. We thought the first time he played it in 2014 was absolutely excellent. Then Mr. Moyer must have subconsciously said, “hold my horn…” because he sent us soaring into cloud nine like never before with the 2025 September and October performances. It was hard to tell if we were dreaming or if it was reality.
This was a huge gift from Tears for Fears!
The way Mr. Moyer interacted with the band, all the accoutrement he brought with the performance, not to mention his lead into Jamie’s solo on Memories Fade… he helped create a series of shows for the ages! No one will forget this. No one! The tears of joy and gratitude that were shed at those concerts could reconstitute dry foliage in a drought. The energy he brought into the already electric and superbly curated space just sealed us to this band even more. People saw the videos from September and booked tickets IMMEDIATELY from all over the world to make sure they could be at the shows in October. We are so grateful to Tears for Fears for hearing us out and humouring us by actually going through with this on so many levels. They literally spoiled us! We are now a bunch of spoiled TFF fans!
How does one improve from a visit to such a celestial celebration of music and serenity? After such an incredible amount of healing physically and emotionally, what can even top that? Nothing really. Well, there’s maybe one thing…and that’s potentially bringing back the VIP Soundcheck option. We have no idea why that wasn’t part of the deal this time but if it’s an option in future we’re interested.
We have had conversations with Brit who worked with On the List, the awesome team that managed that opportunity in the past. Brit has moved on but remains at the heart of the Tears for Fears fan family experience. She did mention that it was an incredible time and she is always with us in one way or another. So we can request her return through perhaps some type of contract with OTL if the band is open to maybe having 1-2 shows that have the soundcheck option. It doesn’t have to be each show in the future as that is a lot (it felt like two concerts per day which we as fans loved but understand it might not be ideal for Tears for Fears each and every show). We’ll take what we can get in this case. Other than that, the interactions, extended chats on stage and continued communication throughout the year are appreciated and welcomed more than words can say!
In Other TFF News:
Lady Emily shared a photo of Eula Orzabal, their new baby. We continue to pray for them and wish them the absolute best as a family. We’re going to leave the photo where it is and not add it here. But keep them in your well wishes as this world is wild and we want the best for all children of the band and the fan team members. Let’s keep these sweet kids safe and sound. Shoutout to Vivi O. and her older brother Gabriel!
Happy December birthday to Mother Margaret Orzabal, Darren of the TFF Fan Forum, Andye who shares a birthday with Captain Julian’s daugther and also to Brit who celebrated her 31st of December birthday in Italia this year! We love and appreciate them all!
TFF Travel Fan Team Book Club
Roland has a new book coming out in August of 2026 – he’ll be at level 65 in his life and we look forward to celebrating that book and his birthday the entire month! The Tears for Fears Travel Fan Book Club has already begun the countdown to the release date by revisiting his first novel Sex, Drugs and Opera: There’s life after rock and roll. In addition, the club is rereading all books written by band members and their families including Chartlon’s novel Exit Strategy, Lauren’s Affirmations journal plus Captain Julian Orzabal’s novels and The Wonky Woo series. Roland’s upcoming book is shown below and is available for pre-order. You can also get the audiobook of which we are delighted as it fufills yet another wish of “Tell us a story!” often heard being requested by Andye at some point during the shows. Much like yelling “Free Bird,” it’s a tradition.
Beloved Curt Smith
Curt will be performing at Joey’s Song. It is a fundraiser featuring incredible bands in support of research for epilepsy – especially Dravet Syndrome. The festival is a series of musicians playing back to back. The reviews are excellent! The 2026 event takes place in Wisconsin on 9 & 10 January. Tickets are on sale (Friday sold out according to the venue’s Instagram stories) and there will also be a livestream of the Saturday show. No matter what, be sure to donate to this cause in honour of Curt being featured. We’re looking forward to watching together online and in person. Thank you so much to those fans who are on their way there at this very moment (especially the team coming in from Louisiana and Mr. Stephen K.). Learn more about the event using this link: https://www.joeyssong.org/ (update: videos from this event are already loading to our TFF Travel Fan Substack space)
Lady Carina Round
Carina will be performing with her band Pusifer in 2026. She also has some cool merch bundles on her website as well as an opportunity to watch her concert that we raved about last year. It’s earth moving! Worth the watch…a few times. Bring your tissues. Her voice will soar through you like effervescent waves. It’ll make you love her even more. Verklempt is a petty word in this case. We’re still absolutely speechless.
Lady Lauren Evans
Lauren recently performed at Lalah Hathway’s Jingle & Jams Holiday Lounge. Be sure to follow her on Instagram for the latest updates in her world. It’s always something heartwarming and uplifting. Speaking of, she’ll be hosting an event called Rooted to Rise on 17 January at The Plant Chicka Leimert Park in Los Angeles. If you’re in the area, you MUST attend. Her work in the realm of creating uplifting experiences is so invigorating.
Tears for Fears Alumni and Family
Lady Diva Smith
Lady Diva has performances in New York city at a variety of venues. It’s best to follow her on Instagram to get the latest. She and her father post the dates and times of her events and they are worth it! She will be featured at an event this Thursday 8 January, 2026 as well. It’s at the Silver Lining Lounge. Gotta go see her. Her voice! It’s Incredible!
Lady Wilder Smith
Wilder created cool photos for guests at an event and continues to share timely art depicting the world around her and important events. From her cool vote art share to the New York Marathon, it’s right up our alley. We love Wilder’s art! Again, big happy December birthday month to her! We hope she had a great time with family and friends.
Artist Raoul Orzabal
Raoul has been sharing an incredible amount of work and it is spectacular! So much so that he won yet another award! This time it was from The Gallery at Green and Stone. Congrats to him! As mentioned, it was really cool knowing he was in the audience with everyone in October at Fontainebleau! Hope to see him again in the future!
Bands In Fan Land
Michael Roland Magno has new music. Listen in! Love it when fans follow their heart and write incredible songs. You can find him on Spotify, YouTube and Instagram.
Soul Twin Messiah released their latest album back in September. You can follow them on YouTube and most social platforms as well. Again, shoutout to The Blue Rocker for joining in the Tears for Fears fan life in person this past year. He captured countless cool moments and got a laugh out of Roland one Friday night. We wish him and his band the best!
Marty Supreme Table Tennis movie
Tears for Fears music can also be heard in the highly acclaimed Marty Supreme. Be sure to catch this film and let us know what you think. Share your thoughts during our Zoom meetings and or online. Congrats to Timothee Chalamet for winning best actor at the Critics’ Choice Awards for his role in this film.
Our New Space
We enjoy interacting with you in our new space on Substack and through email as we are moving away from several social media platforms. Those that wish to remain private and not have their photos or image included this time around have been scrubbed from the October 2025 content to the best of our ability. We appreciate everyone who takes the time to come out and share their experiences either way!
After 46 Tears for Fears shows and band related events, Andye the dedicated TFF Travel fan team moderator is on sabbatical. Contact the fan team through the group email on Instagram if you have travel questions or need travel assistance. Cheers.
Stay in touch with us on Substack! Thank you for reading!
-TFF Travel Fan Team Moderators
Tears for Fears Travel Fans 